Niger’s junta leader, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, has announced a 21-man government, on the eve of an emergency summit of ECOWAS leaders in Abuja.
Tchiani announced the government in a statement he read out on national television on Wednesday night.
The government is headed by Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, who was earlier announced on Monday.
The government includes military and civilians and three women, Aissatou Abdoulaye Tondi, Elizabeth Cherif and Aissa Lawan Wandarama.
Lamine Zeine will double as minister of economy and finance.
The full cabinet:
1. Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Finance: Mr. Lamine Zeine Ali Mahamane
2. Minister of State, Minister of National Defence: Lieutenant General Salifou Mody
3. Minister of State, Minister of the Interior, Public Security and Territorial Administration: Brigadier General Mohamed Toumba
4. Minister of Youth and Sports: Colonel Major Abdourahamane Amadou
5. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Nigeriens Abroad: Mr. Bakary Yaou Sangaré
6. Minister of Public Health, Population and Social Affairs: Doctor Colonel Major Garba Hakimi
7. Minister Director of Cabinet of the President of the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Fatherland (CNSP): Doctor Soumana Boubacar
8. Minister of Agriculture and Livestock: Mr. Mahaman Elhadj Ousmane
9. Minister of Higher Education, Research and Technological Innovation: Professor Mahamadou Saidou
10. Minister of National Education, Literacy, Vocational Education and Promotion of National Languages: Mrs. Elizabeth Cherif
11. Minister of Transport and Equipment: Colonel Salissou Mahaman Salissou
12. Minister of Hydraulics, Sanitation and the Environment: Colonel Maizama Abdoulaye
13. Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Keeper of the Seals: Mr. Alio Daouda
14. Minister of Public Service, Labor and Employment Mrs. Aissatou Abdoulaye Tondi
15. Minister of Town Planning and Housing: Mr. Salissou Sahirou Adamou
16. Minister of Humanitarian Action and Disaster Management: Mrs. Aissa Lawan Wandarama.
17. Minister of Petroleum, Mines and Energy: Mr. Mahaman Moustapha Barké
18. Minister of Handicrafts and Tourism: Mrs. Guichen Agaichata Atta
19. Minister of Communication, Posts and Digital Economy: Mr. Sidi Mohamed Raliou
20. Minister of Commerce and Industry: Mr. Seydou Asman
21. Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister in charge of Finance: Mr. Moumouni Boubacar Saidou
The announcement of the cabinet came on the eve of the emergency meeting of ECOWAS leaders in Abuja, the Nigerian capital today.
The meeting was after the country’s military chiefs defied an ultimatum to restore the elected president. The ultimatum expired on Sunday.
Struggling to stem a cascade of coups among its members since 2020, the bloc gave the troops who seized power on July 26 until last Sunday to reinstate Bazoum or face the potential use of force.
Coup leaders remained defiant, however, and the deadline passed without action.
The possibility of a military intervention in Niger, a fragile nation that ranks among the world’s poorest, has sparked debate within ECOWAS and warnings from neighbouring Algeria and Russia.
